The Battle for Bonhoeffer: Debating Discipleship in the Age of Trump

Description

Let’s stop fighting over Bonhoeffer’s Legacy

The figure of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) has become a clay puppet in modern American politics. Secular, radical, liberal, and evangelical interpreters variously shape and mold the martyr’s legacy to suit their own pet agendas.

Stephen Haynes offers an incisive and clarifying perspective. A recognized Bonhoeffer expert, Haynes examines “populist” readings of Bonhoeffer, including the acclaimed biography by Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. In his analysis Haynes treats, among other things, the November 2016 election of Donald Trump and the “Bonhoeffer moment” announced by evangelicals in response to the US Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Battle for Bonhoefferincludes an open letter from Haynes pointedly addressing Christians who still support Trump. Bonhoeffer’s legacy matters. Haynes redeems the life and the man.

Praise for The Battle for Bonhoeffer

Stanley Hauerwas
— author of Hannah’s Child“Does it matter how Bonhoeffer is read in America? Anyone reading Haynes‘s meticulously researched book will discover that it matters a great deal. It took courage to write this book.’

Reggie L. Williams
— McCormick Theological Seminary
“The Battle for Bonhoeffer by Stephen Haynes is a must-read for anyone interested in the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. People who write and teach about Bonhoeffer’s life and work are often asked about reliable sources to learn of him. This book will now undoubtedly be the go-to response to that question.”